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Kings' De'Aaron Fox Reportedly Invited to Join Team USA's Select Team
June 28, 2019
Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox has been invited to join Team USA's Select Team at training camp this summer ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China later this year, according to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes.
No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson and Los Angeles Clippers guard Landry Shamet are among the other players who will make up the Select squad, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The fifth overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Fox has shown plenty of promise—and he took a big step forward in his second season.
After averaging a respectable 11.6 points per game on 41.2 percent shooting as a rookie, Fox dropped 17.3 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting in 2018-19. He also saw his three-point percentage jump from 30.7 percent to 37.1 percent.
The 21-year-old has already proven he is more than just a scorer. He averaged 7.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season. It's that type of playmaking that helped the Kings remain in playoff contention throughout much of the regular season.
Fox's impressive performance this past season earned him a third-place finish in the NBA's Most Improved Player voting.
When Williamson was selected, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said, per the New York Times' Marc Stein, the decision was made in order to provide the New Orleans Pelicans forward with "the platform to see how he can compete with the vets." Fox will also now have that opportunity.
It is not unheard of for a player from the junior squad to ultimately make the 12-player roster. After initially being named to the select team, Anthony Davis earned a spot on the Summer Olympics roster back in 2012.
Fox faces stiff competition, though, in his quest to make the senior team. Team USA's training camp roster features the following guards: Bradley Beal, Eric Gordon, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, CJ McCollum, Donovan Mitchell and Kemba Walker.
The 2019 FIBA World Cup will be held from August 31 to September 15.
Fox faces stiff competition, though, in his quest to make the senior team. Team USA's training camp roster features the following guards: Bradley Beal, Eric Gordon, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, CJ McCollum, Donovan Mitchell and Kemba Walker.
The 2019 FIBA World Cup will be held from August 31 to September 15.